Afeni Shakur who passed away this week at the age of 69, was widely known for birthing one of history's most influential figures, Tupac Shakur. Before the icon was born, her legacy stems back to her role as a Black Panther in the 1960's and 70's, in the era where she fought for the liberation of black people. Shakur was loved deeply by her son who in 1996, called her a "black queen" in his song, "Dear Mama." With resilience, Shakur laid down a foundation for her children that she discovered through her own journey to self-awareness and black pride.
In the 1960s, Afeni Shakur joined the Black Panther Party after seeing Bobby Seale give a speech on 125th Street in Harlem.
Afeni Shakur was not just Tupac's mother. She was a revolutionary and a Black Panther who fought for liberation. pic.twitter.com/q5NMtDUAx6
— #FreeJalilMuntaqim (@BlakeDontCrack) May 3, 2016
In her biography, "Afeni Shakur: Evolution of a Revolutionary," she explained the experience to the author, Jasmine Guy.
"So there I was wrapped in my Africanness. For the first time, loving myself and loving, now that there was something I could do with my life. There was now something I could do with all this aggression, and all this fear…. So, the Panther Party for me, at that time, clarified my situation. They took my rage and channeled it against them, instead of us. They educated my mind and gave me direction. With that direction came hope, and I loved them for giving me that…. They took me and looked at me and said, 'Afeni, you are strong, so use your strength to help the weak. You are smart, so use your mind to teach the ignorant.' And that’s what I did."
After she became a Black Panther, Shakur also began writing for the party's Panther Post newsletter.
Afeni Shakur's "Revolutionary Poetry," from the Black Panther newspaper, dated April 6, 1970!!! Now I see whe… http://t.co/NGblc6ao
— #ScholarActivist (@blkintellectual) August 15, 2012
In 1970, as a member of the Panther 21, Shakur was arrested with 20 other Black Panthers for allegedly conspiring to bomb landmarks in New York City.
1.Afeni Shakur was rounded up along with the rest of the Panther 21 in 1970 as part of #Greatness #BlackHistory pic.twitter.com/AIkYamJPe8
— ∆ Fredriquo Smith ∆ (@Fredriquo) March 2, 2016
While Shakur was pregnant with her son Tupac, she defended herself on trial without representation and was acquitted of all 156 charges.
R.I.P Afeni Shakur.Panther 21 charged with 153 felonies and no law degree defeated racist unjust system. ✊ pic.twitter.com/B3CpGywEp8
— BigPat81 (@DMVPat) May 3, 2016
After using her intellect to beat the case, one month and three days later, Tupac Shakur was born.